Maple Leaves
by nakaji
Summary: Gilbert has always felt alone, despite being famous and having many friends and fans alike. However, when he meets Matthew- his roommate's twin brother- at one of his performances, everything changes. Drama ensues. (Human AU, Rockstar!Gilbert, Cop!Alfred. Rated T for language. Sidepairings galore, but mostly PruCan and USUK.)
1. Matryoshka

**A/N:** Hello! This is my first time posting to fanfiction, so I'm a little unsure of how things work. Anyway, this is a fanfiction written by myself and cowritten with my cousin (who sadly does not have an account.) Constructive criticism is extremely welcome!

Also, here's the layout of Alfred and Gil's apartment, in case you were wondering: oi61 . tinypic / 2i7wetw . jpg (no spaces, of course)

Enjoy! :3c

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1 - Matryoshka**

The first time Alfred woke up in the middle of the night was when his roommate, passed out beside him on the floor of their apartment, kicked him in the face. The second time was due to said roommate's phone going off, blasting his extremely loud death metal ringtone; telling everyone within a 50 mile radius that he had a call. Alfred opened his eyes groggily, feeling a pounding headache coming on the second his eyes met daylight. He leaned off of the couch (which he had retreated to after the kick), and desperately swept his hand on the floor around him in search of his glasses. Haphazardly shoving them onto his face once he located them, he stood and shuffled toward his roommate, then kicked him in the stomach- partially to wake him up, partially as revenge for his rude midnight awakening.

"Dude, wake up, your phone is ringing!" He said frustratedly, shaking the other with his foot. Finally, his roommate opened one bright red eye, and answered intelligently, "Huh?"

Alfred rolled his eyes and grabbed his roommate's phone from the floor, tossing it onto his chest. The albino's eyes widened when he saw the missed call notification displaying on his screen. " _Verdammt!_ " He yelled, scrambling to get up and call the number back.

"Dunno what you just said bro, but you seriously need to stop gettin' drunk all the time and dragging me into it." Alfred grumbled, moving towards the door and donning his signature bomber jacket. "I'm gonna go get some painkiller, you need anything?" The silvery haired man simply waved him away, holding his cellphone to his ear, obviously more than a little distressed. _Crap, crap, crap,_ he thought, berating himself for not being awake to answer the phone, _what if it's a business call?_ _We always need more gigs, especially since it's been so long since we released our last album…_

" _Privet_?"

 _Thank God_ , he thought as he heard the heavily accented voice filter through his phones speaker.

"Uh, Hi. This is Gilbert Beilschmidt. You called me a minute ago but I missed it. What do you want?"

"You have band, _da_? It's popular?"

Gilbert pumped his fist ecstatically; _finally_ , someone wanted to book his band again!

"Of course I have a band! It's called Asphyxia, and it's awesome, and super popular because it's so awesome!"

"Good. I book you for a month, if you bring business you stay longer. Understood?"

The musician couldn't believe it. A month of gigs? "A... Awesome."

" _Da_ , very… awesome." The man on the phone spoke as if he was unfamiliar with the word, before filling Gilbert in on the details of where his establishment (a bar, he learned) was located, what days he wanted the band there, as well as the times he wanted them to play. After hanging up, Gilbert opened his messages app, and sent a message to the group chat he had named "ASSphyxia".

 _GUESS WHAT BITCHES! THE AWESOME GILBERT HAS GOTTEN US GIGS FOR A MONTH! GET READY LOSERS WE'RE PLAYING IN 7 HOURS!_

Smirking, Gilbert glanced at the clock. It was currently one in the afternoon, meaning he had five hours to get ready and eat before driving to the bar (allotting time to set up the stage and for his bandmate, Antonio, to get lost on the way). Speaking of bandmates, they had responded to his message; a " _Good job, amigo! I am very excited :)_ " from their keyboardist, Antonio, followed by an " _It's about time, I miss performing on stage! Not to mention my fans ;)_ " from Francis, their bassist, which made Gilbert wince. He knew _too well_ about just _how much_ Francis loved his... fans.

The next text surprised him. It was from Feliks, their drummer, and it read, " _I totally did that, my boyfriend works there and he told me that they were doing really bad business, so I told him to make his boss book us_."

Gilbert stared in disbelief at the message, slightly embarrassed that he had proclaimed himself responsible for getting the gigs, when really it was all Feliks's doing. _Whatever,_ he thought _, I'll just pretend I didn't see that…_

He tossed his phone onto the couch, deciding to take a shower- he reeked of beer and sweat, and since Alfred was gone he could sing as loudly as he wanted to. His hypocrite of a roommate found it annoying when Gilbert sang in the shower, even though he did the same thing with silly American pop songs- not to mention _much_ louder. Humming the beginning of one of his favorite German metal songs, he opened the closet closest to the bathroom door, pulling out a towel. Before he could even step foot into the bathroom, the apartment door slammed open.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Startled, Gilbert poked his head out of the small hallway leading to the bathroom to see Alfred standing in the doorway, panting, with a black plastic bag in his hand.

"Um, what the hell?"

Alfred glared at him, kicking off his shoes and slamming the door shut.

"I heard the humming. I swear to God, Gil, if I have to hear you sing that weird-ass German screamo shit one more time I'm gonna…"- the blonde glanced around the room frantically, as if looking for inspiration for his threat. His eyes landed on the small pile of McDonalds coupons he kept on the kitchen table, and he finished his sentence- "McFreakin' _lose_ it!"

Gilbert stood in shock, staring at his roommate for a good minute before slowly backing into the bathroom, locking the door firmly. He started the water, stripping and folding his clothes neatly. As he stepped into the shower, he heard Alfred pull out a chair at the kitchen table and sit. Smiling evilly, he knew that the American didn't expect him to sing after his little… _outburst. Think again, loser! Nothing intimidates the great Gilbert Beilschmidt!_

Softly, he began a particularly morbid and loud song from his home country. " _In der Morgendämmerung stehen wir auf dem Schlachtfeld…_ " he began, then grabbed a bottle of shampoo and held it to mouth as if it were a microphone and shouted the next lines- " _ **Schwert an der Seite , das Gefühl der Hämmer " Pfund . Trinken unserem letzten Wein, nehmen wir unsere Pferde!**_ "

The sound of a fist hitting the table reached Gilbert's ears, as well as a shout of, "God fucking _damn it_ , Gil!" which made him grin, followed by a quieter exclamation of, "Bro… I think I broke the table."

The albino burst into loud peals of laughter, almost slipping on the wet tile floor. Still laughing, he shouted back a, "Fucking _savage_ , man!", before quickly washing his hair and his body so he could do some damage control on his roommate- and furniture.

He strolled into the kitchen wearing his clothes for that night's gig; a black shirt with a red plaid neck scarf, accompanied by the standard "I'm a member of a rock band" ripped black jeans and boots. Alfred glanced up at him from where he sat at the table, giggling a bit at his cliché outfit. Gilbert was about to retort, but was silenced when the other winced and exclaimed in pain. "Ow ow _ow_ … dude, I have a splinter! I always knew this table was out to get me!"

Gilbert rolled his eyes, taking the others hand and examining the wound. "A table can't be out to get you, idiot. It's an awesome table, I picked it out myself!" Alfred mumbled something about stubbed toes before diverting his attention back to the splinter. "Tell it to me straight, doc," He said jokingly. "How long do I have?"

The vocalist looked up, fake concern in his ruby eyes. "I'm afraid it's fatal… There's only one cure, and it's extremely painful, not to mention risky…"

Alfred closed his eyes seriously, looking away and muttering a, "Just _do_ it."

Dramatically, Gilbert pinched the piece of wood protruding out of the American's hand and pulled hard, effectively removing it- as well as effectively causing Alfred to make a sound similar to a screech crossed with a gargle of sorts.

"What the hell was that?" Gilbert asked, chuckling slightly as he threw the wood chip into the trash. He didn't expect an answer, and Alfred didn't give one- instead opting to stare at his bleeding cut. "Need a bandaid?" the German asked in an affectionate, yet condescending tone.

Alfred looked up seriously, cradling his hand. "Yes, please."

His roommate sighed, returning to the bathroom to get out a box of bandages.

"Get me one with the superheros on it, dude!"

"I know, I know! Batman or Superwoman?"

"How clothed is Superwoman?"

"Mostly clothed. You want Batman, then?"

"Hell yeah, bro!"

Gilbert took the bandaid out of the box, and returned to the kitchen. He put it down in front of his friend, then opened up their fridge, searching for something he could eat before his gig. Finding nothing suited to his tastes, he called over his shoulder, "Yo, wanna order something? I'm starving!"

Alfred's response was immediate; "Um… Can we order a new table?"

Gilbert turned, staring at his roommate in disbelief. "It's hardly even broken! All you did was dent it a little. Don't worry, I got it from IKEA, it's fine."

He looked slightly dubious, but became reassured at the mention of IKEA. "Man, IKEA…" He said wistfully. "I got lost in there once as a kid. When my parents found me they were so pissed they took me home right away, but when we got there we realized that we left my brother. They have good furniture, huh?"

Gilbert was slightly concerned that his roommate could recount a tale of child abandonment so calmly, and even praised the store it occurred in. "Awesome," He said, not knowing how else to respond. "Anyway, you wanna order food?"

Alfred looked at the other blankly, stating confusedly, "McDonalds doesn't deliver, dude."

Exasperated, Gilbert looked at the blond. "Alfred, it's really important to me that you repeat what I'm about to say. I need you to understand this."

Alfred simply nodded, curious of what his roommate would say.

"McDonald's. Is not. The only food chain. On this planet."

"It's… _not_?" Alfred said, mocking sincerity. "Come on, man, I knew that! It's not the only food chain, but it's the best!"

"So are we ordering or no?" Gilbert asked, stomach starting to hurt- after all, the only things he'd ingested in the last 24 hours were beer and shitty take-out mexican.

"You can. I'm gonna eat at your gig tonight! I heard it's at a bar, right? Do you think they have good burgers?"

"How should I know, I've never been there! Feliks's boyfriend works there, so It better be pretty awesome."

His roommate closed his eyes and smiled blissfully, leaning back into his chair. "Mmm… _food_."

Still concerned about his appetite, Gilbert rummaged through the fridge a bit more before grudgingly settling for a two day old meatball sub. He sat across from Alfred at the now-dented table, sandwich cut in two on a plate in front of him. "Since when are you coming to my gig?"

Alfred shrugged, reaching across the table for the other half of the sub, only to have his hand be swatted away. Scowling, he said, "I figure I can take my brother and Kiku, have a boys night out."

Gilbert laughed. "Alright, just make sure you don't abandon your brother at the bar." He took another bite of his sandwich, chewing thoughtfully while he remembered how painfully shy Kiku, Alfred's Japanese friend, was. "You're bringing Kiku to a bar, where a hard rock band is playing? I can't see how he would enjoy that. He doesn't think my music is awesome, the jerk."

Alfred waved his hand with a, "Don't worry about it! He'll have a blast!"

"If you're sure. Hey, stop that! You said you weren't hungry, hands off my food!" Gilbert yelled as Alfred made another attempt to grab his sub. In the moment where he tried to protect the half of his sandwich he was holding, his roommate swiped at the other half on his plate. He stood and held the sandwich like a trophy, shoving Gilbert away and licking it, claiming it as his own.

"Fuck you. That was _not_ awesome."

"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, dude. I was hungry… It was there… You know how it goes."

Gilbert stood up from the table, flipping him off and leaving him with his partially eaten food. He grabbed his phone from the couch as he walked into his room, plopping down onto his bed and opening his messages once again.

 **Antonio:** _So, where exactly is this bar?_

 **Feliks:** _It's on Broadway, you totally can't miss it. It's called "The Matryoshka Bar", or something._

 **Francis:** _Matryoshka as in, those charming little Russian dolls? How quaint._

 **Feliks:** _Probably? I don't really care, I have to go get ready._

Gilbert rolled his eyes at how boring the conversation was. Why were they having a conversation about lame dolls, when they should be spreading the hype about their gig that day? He sighed, figuring that he would have to be the one to spread the word. He logged into his twitter account and typed out a tweet in all caps, as he always did.

"Gilbert Beilschmidt

gilbertthegreat

GET READY! ASPHYXIA PERFORMS TONITE AT 8! COME SEE US AT THE MATRYOSHKA BAR ON BROADWAY! #asphyxia #awesome"

Gilbert screencaptured his post, then opened his facebook app and signed into the band's official page, posting it there, with the caption "BE THERE OR BE SQUARE! (squares are not awesome)"

Bored of social media, he locked his phone and stared up at the ceiling. For some strange reason, he felt so… lonely. Even though he could hear his phone buzzing with notifications from his recent posts, he didn't feel surrounded by friends or fans. Not even the sound of Alfred playing video games in the other room was enough to convince him that he wasn't alone. He felt himself start to grow melancholy, but tried to think positive thoughts; he couldn't be sad if he was going to perform.

 _You're fine, Gil,_ He thought to himself. _You like to be alone. You're perfectly fine, stop moping around like a lame loser! You're awesome, and a rockstar, you should be happy!_

 _Should be..._


	2. Maple Boy

**A/N:** This is the chapter where PruCan happens. Get ready, it's here.

Enjoy!

* * *

 _THUD!_

"Shit, ow!" Gilbert exclaimed, awaking from his impromptu nap to find himself laying on his floor. He was in an uncomfortable position; part of one leg still on his bed and the rest of him sprawled on the ground, legs wrapped in his blanket. He stood and hopped around, trying to untangle himself from his quilt prison. Ten minutes later, he emerged from his room, victorious.

He walked down the short hall leading from his bedroom to the living room, spotting Kiku and Alfred on the couch, watching some cartoon... maybe Pokemon? Kiku looked up when he heard footsteps, and seemed surprised when he saw Gilbert enter the room.

"Alfred! I thought your roommate already left for his concert, but he's still here?" He said in a hushed voice to his friend, looking extremely concerned. Alfred didn't look away from the screen, and told Kiku, "He did! There's no way he'd forget to leave early; if he was still here he'd be an idiot! There's no way he could make it in time to set up the stage and stuff if he left now!"

Kiku looked back at Gilbert, wondering if he should forcibly turn Alfred's head so he would see that his roommate had not left yet. Gilbert frantically shook his head, placing a finger to his lips in a "shush" gesture. He then silently crept towards the door, opening the closet to take out his jacket and car keys, before dashing out the door and slamming it behind him with a bang.

Alfred whipped his head around at the noise, looking at Kiku and practically shouting, "Bro, what the hell was _that_?!"

Kiku faltered, trying to think of a response that didn't involve Gilbert- the man scared him, and he didn't want to imagine what would happen if he found out that Kiku had told Alfred about his punctuality- or rather, lack thereof. "Um..." He said, racking his brain for a plausible excuse. "Maybe it was a mouse?"

Alfred's eyes widened, mouth agape. "Seriously, dude?! That's one huge freakin' mouse, I should call an exterminator!"

Kiku waved his hands frantically in an attempt to convey that no, he should definitely not call an exterminator. "I apologize, I misspoke- it was surely a neighbor that slammed their door rather loudly."

The American calmed visibly, sinking back down into the chair. "Whew, that's good! I hate mice, they freak me out! I don't trust their faces." His friend eyed him oddly for a moment, before he gasped in realization and tugged on Alfred's sleeve. "Alfred, your brother, we have to pick him up before Gilbert-san's concert!"

"My brother...? Oh my god, Mattie, he's probably waiting! We have to go like, pronto, dude!"

"I agree. It is rather rude to keep him waiting. Shall we be on our way, then?"

Meanwhile, Gilbert had already arrived at the bar, and was met with another set of obstacles- half of his band wasn't even there yet. Feliks was the only one there, and he insisted upon introducing Gilbert to the bar's staff- particularly, his boyfriend. He agreed, but only after he'd had a... _chat_ with Francis and Antonio.

Impatiently Gilbert tapped his foot, listening to the drone of the dialing tone as he waited for Francis to pick up. He heard a click, and at that moment began his bitter tirade.

"Where the hell are you? Where's Antonio? We play in less than two hours, I need your asses here, now!"

" _Mon ami_ , I am so terribly sorry! I was with an, uh... friend, and I lost track of time. I am on my way now, I will be there shortly."

Gilbert threw his free hand in the air, exasperated. "Why am I not surprised... Anyway, you better be here in the next 20 minutes or I'll kick you out of the band and have Alfred replace you!"

Francis gasped on the other line. "You wouldn't!"

"You underestimate me. Also, where the hell is Antonio? _Mein Gott_ , I feel like I'm raising infants here..."

"Antonio? He isn't there yet? _Mon dieu_ , this really is quite a disaster. He's probably lost again, I'll call him and tell him where to go. Sorry, Gil. I'll get both of us there as soon as I can."

"Good."

" _Au revoir_."

Francis hung up, giving Gilbert no other choice than to walk back Feliks and inform him of their bandmate's whereabouts.

"Ugh, again?"

"Again to which one, Francis being late because he was busy banging someone or Antonio getting lost?"

"Like, both, I guess. We should be used to it by now, but they both manage to totally piss me off all the time."

"Whatever, they'll be here soon. Weren't you going to show me around? The place looks pretty awesome, so props for that."

Feliks led him to the bar, where a hulking Russian man sat as though anticipating the introduction. The moment he saw the pair walking towards him he stood, holding out a hand to Gilbert and smiling sweetly.

"Hello, I spoke to you on phone. I am Ivan, and you are Gilbert, _da_?"

Gilbert, surprised by the tough-looking man's sweetness, extended his hand and shook his new employer's hand. He was met with a forceful grip, Ivan squeezing his hand until Gilbert swore something popped of place. When he was released, he cradled his hand and swore under his breath, glaring at Ivan accusedly. The taller man did nothing but smile and insist that he introduce Gilbert to the rest of the staff.

 _Feliks is dating this hulking creepy-ass Russian guy?_ Gilbert thought, praying that he was wrong, and that his boyfriend was an employee. " _Priyekhat!_ " Ivan yelled over his shoulder, catching Gilbert by surprise. Almost instantly a line of young men exited the kitchen off of the bar area. Gilbert noted that there weren't many, only six. _I guess that makes sense, Feliks did say he needed business; he probably can't afford to employ many people..._

Ivan took it upon himself to introduce his staff instead of letting them do so themselves. He pointed to two young looking boys, one with his hands protectively on the younger's shoulders. "These are Eduard and Raivis. They are waiters, since they are too young to work at bar or in kitchen." The musician nodded at the pair, giving them a wave with his uninjured hand.

The bar owner continued onto a pair of brunets, one who looked like he had just gotten up from a nap and another that looked too anxious to ever sleep. "These are my bartenders, Heracles and my little Toris." Heracles gave him a sluggish nod in acknowledgement, while Toris smiled nervously. When Ivan referred to Toris as his own, Feliks had glared and ran over to him, greeting him with a kiss to the cheek and smugly grinning at Ivan.

Ivan's expression darkened, and he looked to the last two men disinterestedly. "Finally, our cooks. Sadiq and Yao. Yao is new like you. I hope you both prove yourselves tonight." His eyes flashed dangerously as he looked between Gilbert and Yao. Gilbert took the message to mean that he better play well, and Yao had better not mess up in the kitchen. He felt bad for him, really; Yao was rather small and effeminate, and looked to be scared of Ivan. _Who am I kidding,_ Gilbert thought; _everyone is scared of him, even me, and I'm awesome. Yep, it's true._

Too caught up in his self-centered thoughts, he didn't notice the sound of the door opening. What he did notice was Francis flinging himself onto him, crying apologies in both English and French. Gilbert pushed him off, turning to Antonio and glaring at the Spaniard.

"What do you have to say for yourself." He asked rhetorically, feeling more like a parent by the minute.

"W-well, you see, _amigo_ -"

" _Scheiße_! Don't you " _amigo_ " me! I can't even look at you, go set up the stage or something!"

" _S-sí..._ " Antonio said, obviously feeling guilty for his tardiness. He and Francis approached Feliks, who had grudgingly detached himself from his boyfriend and started the work of unloading their instruments and setting up the speakers.

Gilbert sat at a barstool, wondering if he had been too hard on his bandmates. Finally deciding that his actions were justified (because they were not being awesome and punctual like him), he looked over to the bartender with his back turned to him.

"Hey, you're Heracles, right?"

"I want... to pet cats."

"Um, okay... I was just going to ask how long you've been working here. Is Ivan always... like that?" He asked, rather bluntly.

"I want... cats..."

Gilbert frowned at the man, becoming slightly angry- why does he keep ignoring him to talk about cats? A shy voice stole his attention, with the words, "There's no use, he is very deep sleeping."

Gilbert turned to the voice, recognizing its owner to be Feliks's boyfriend. "At work?"

" _Jā_ , he has... Narcolepsy, is it? He is not purposely falling asleep."

"I... see. Ivan knows this, _ja_? And he's... okay with that?"

Toris glanced around, as though scared that Ivan was hiding somewhere in the room, listening in on their conversation. "Ah, well... You see, Ivan comes from Russia, and doesn't have many money. He opened bar here to try and make living, so he doesn't mind him sleeping as long as he works, too. I asked if I could come, because Feliks lives here," he blushed, before continuing with his story, "I couldn't bear to leave Eduard and Raivis- they are like brothers to me, so they came as well, and now we are working for Ivan..." He said the last part with a wince, as though the three hadn't willingly accepted their jobs at the bar.

Gilbert opened his mouth to question him about his story, but before he could the brunet turned his head to the customers that had just entered the bar. It appeared that people were piling in for the night; Raivis and Eduard were leading people to tables in front of the stage, and Yao was loudly questioning Sadiq about how things worked in the kitchen.

Toris sighed and looked at Heracles, telling Gilbert, "I should wake him up. There will be many here soon, we will be very busy. You are playing soon, right? I look very much forward to hearing!"

Gilbert bolted up from his seat, cursing loudly. " _Crap_ , I need to go on stage!" he exclaimed, dashing from his seat to the stage, practically diving behind the curtain that separated the stage from the backstage. "Is everything ready? We go on in five minutes!"

Antonio looked up from where he sat by the speakers, giving Gilbert a thumbs up and a toothy grin. " _Sí!_ We are all set!"

Francis walked towards him, microphone in hand. He gave it to Gilbert, smiling. "You are opening today, _mon ami_. Usually I would insist that it should be me- our fans miss my beautiful face, but I do owe you a sort of apology."

Gilbert snorted, taking the microphone and slapping Francis on the shoulder with his free hand. "Shut up, Franny! The fans love me, I'm awesome."

The band took their places at their respective instruments on the stage, while Gilbert stood at the very front of it, closest to the curtain. At exactly eight o' clock, the curtains opened and the band was met with cheers from the crowded bar tables and stools. Gilbert felt a rush of excitement travel through him, his heartbeat quickening. He had forgotten what it was like to be on stage, to feel lights shining on him, to hear the cheers of his fans. It was just so... _awesome_.

Grinning widely, he held the microphone to his mouth and greeted his fans; "Hey, hey, hey! It's Asphyxia! The popular rock band for you, and by me! Because I am awesome Gilbert! It's been a long time since our last performance, so let's get started, shall we? Today, we start with our hit song... _Mein Gott!_ "

The crowd erupted into cheers, and Antonio began to play the song's intro on his keyboard. Gilbert, caught up in the adrenaline of performing once again, completely forgot that his roommate was supposed to come and watch.

Alfred had stayed true to his word- he, Kiku, and Matthew were at the crowded bar. He and Kiku sat together at the bar itself, Alfred knocking back shot after shot while Kiku sipped his soda. Matthew was... well, he's _somewhere_ , or at least Alfred thought so. Frankly, he was just a little too drunk to care. He was finding it a little hard to focus, too distracted by the odd curl on one of the bartender's hair.

"LOL, dude, you have a plant on your head!" He said, pointing to the curl which really did resemble a sprout. Kiku giggled at this, trying to stifle it with his hand. Heracles ignored Alfred completely, turning to Kiku and blushing. "Cute..." he said quietly, causing the other to blush as well.

Alfred looked between the two, briefly considering reading the atmosphere and leaving them alone, before deciding not to and practically shouting the first thing that popped into his head. "Kiku, bro, the plant guy is totally trying to hit on you!" He laughed boisterously, a loud **_'Na ha ha ha!'_** He appeared to be on the verge of tears despite smiling widely, slamming his fist on the table in a display of his drunken amusement.

Kiku blushed a darker shade of red, staring at his friend in mortification. Alfred wiped a tear from his eyes, still shaking with laughter. "I'm sorry, bro, but I keep imagining you dudes with little plant babies and I just-" he collapsed into another peal of laughter, putting his head on the table and shaking. "Oh my god, guys, I'm gonna die," he heaved, practically choking on his laughter.

"We're all going to die, one day."

Alfred turned at the voice, noticing for the first time the man sitting next to him. He was clearly British, from his accent, and he had blond hair, green eyes, and...

"Fuck, dude, your _eyebrows_!" Alfred shrieked, and slapped his hand on his knee, actually crying from laughter at this point. "Are... are those _real_? Is this a joke? OMFG, marry me, I want weird eyebrow babies!"

The man glared at him, puffing out his cheeks angrily. "First off, I refuse to even consider marrying a man who actually says 'OMFG', even if he is very... attractive. Second," he said, now beginning to blush, "you don't even know my name, and my eyebrows aren't weird..."

"Now it is you who's being hit on, Alfred…" Kiku observed, giving his friend a sly smile.

Gilbert wiped the sweat from his brow after finishing their fifth, and almost last, song. He loved performing, but it also took a lot out of him; his throat was scratchy and he was unbearably hot. The only thing keeping him sane was the cute man with the blond hair and curl sitting alone at the table closest to the stage. During every song, he had kept his eyes on Gilbert. The rock star had noticed, of course, and had even made eye contact with him a few times, giving him a flirty wink every now and then, enjoying his reactions. Every time their eyes met, he would blush and look away towards his food. Halfway through the third song, Gilbert had caught him glancing around the room before removing a bottle of maple syrup from his pocket and pouring it over his french fries, and had to resist laughing in the middle of the chorus.

Finally, three songs later, the gig was over. Gilbert wished his fans a good night, before quickly packing up his equipment and calling a, "Good job, guys!" to his bandmates. He rushed out to the table closest to the stage, praying that the cutie was still there- and he was.

"Hey, maple boy!" he said, pulling out a chair across from him. He leaned in, resting his head in his hands, smirking at the other. 'Maple boy' turned pink, replying quietly, "You were great. That was probably a lot of fun, eh? I'm Matthew Williams."

"Yeah, I'm great. Nice to meet you, Mattie. You are very _niedlich_."

"Um.. I don't know what that means."

 _Huh,_ Gilbert thought, _he kinda reminds me of Alfred, but way cuter…_

" _Fuck!_ "

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry, I just remembered- my friends were supposed be here, I'd better look for them- I'll be right back!" He said, jumping up from his seat and running to the bar. He looked around, only to find Alfred completely wasted- laughing hysterically, next to some man who appeared to be crying, also hysterically. Kiku sat on the other side of him, talking to a bartender, both of whom were smiling shyly- Heracles, if he remembered correctly. Gilbert shook his head, assuming that they would be fine, and made his way back to Matthew. _I wonder where Alfred's brother is… Maybe he was the crying one?_

Gilbert plopped back into his seat and reached across the table, booping Matthew's nose. "The awesome Gilbert has returned! Also, _'niedlich'_ means 'cute'. I've been meaning to say, you're going to have to speak up if you wanna keep talking; I can barely hear you."

"Sorry! Not many people want to listen to me, so I'm used to talking like this…"

"I'm sure what you said was super awesome, but you're still speaking like you're at a funeral and it's fucking loud in here."

With that, Gilbert stood and took Matthews hand, leading him to the bathroom he had seen on his informal 'tour' of the bar. Once inside, he said, "Okay, I should probably be able to hear you now."

Matthew fidgeted, tugging on his curl and muttering, "Sorry to have caused you so much trouble…"

Gilbert waved his hand, scoffing. "Don't worry about it, man. It's not any trouble, I _want_ to talk to you."

Before he knew it, Matthew's hands were on Gilbert's cheeks, and their lips met in a clumsy kiss. Gilbert's eyes widened in surprise to see the others eyes screwed shut, face absolutely red. Uncertainly, he raised his hands to Matthew's waist, pulling him close and deepening their kiss. The blond gasped, releasing his hold on Gilbert's cheeks and wrapping his arms around his neck, standing on his tippy-toes to reach his height.

"Oh- oh my god, I thought Mr. Braginski scared away all the hookers who wanted to work in the bathrooms…"

Jerking away from Matthew in surprise, Gilbert turned his head to see Raivis, the young waiter. He was frozen in mortification, but the moment he saw the albino his eyes grew wide, and he screeched. Gilbert called after him, but he was already long gone, having run out of the bathroom the moment they made eye contact.

Gilbert, wide eyed, turned to Matthew, who returned the look of panic.

"I guess we should leave, eh?" Matthew asked, looking a bit disappointed.

"Oh, yeah. I guess so."

"Um… I'm sorry for kissing you. It's just, no one has ever said they wanted to talk to me before, and I just-"

"Are you kidding me? That was _awesome_ , don't be sorry!"

Matthew squirmed, obviously pleased with the compliment. Nervously, he said, "It's pretty late… I should probably get home."

"O-oh, right, of course. Awesome. I'll call you a cab?"

Matthew sighed. "That's probably for the best. My brother was supposed to drive me home, but he's probably left already…"

"What a dick. Don't worry, I'm the awesome Gilbert, I will get you a cab."

"T-thanks a lot! I'll make sure to pay you back-"

"Not necessary," Gilbert said, pulling out his cell phone and dialing a cab company he knew to be nearby. "That kiss was more than enough. I know I said this, but it was really awesome. Like, _really_ awesome."

Matthew tried to respond, but found himself speechless out of sheer embarrassment- besides, Gilbert wouldn't have heard his reply, he was too busy telling the person on the phone their location. He ended the call a moment later, and looked to Matthew.

"They'll be here in a minute. Pretty awesome, right? I'm friends wi- I know the guy who owns it, he's a huge fan. That's right, he can't get enough of the awesome me."

Matthew simply nodded, following Gilbert out of the bathroom and bar, surprised to see that the cab was waiting outside. He got in, the other standing outside of the door and smiling. "Well, goodnight, Matt. Have awesome dreams and stuff."

Matthew took a pen out of his pocket and grabbed for Gilbert's hand, writing something on it. "That's for the cab." He said, and smiled warmly.

Gilbert whistled. "Wow, you keep everything in those pockets. Maple syrup _and_ pens."

Matthew blushed indignantly. "They don't have maple syrup there! A man's got to do what a man's got to do, eh?"

"Sure, sure." Gilbert said, noticing that the cab driver was beginning to get impatient. He gave him a wad of bills, telling him to keep the change. Matthew waved goodbye, and Gilbert closed the cab door, watching it drive away.

Gilbert raked a hand through his hair and looked down at it, seeing that Matthew had written his number. He grinned stupidly. _Man, he's really cute._

He thought about Matthew the whole way home- the way his hair bounced when he moved, his cute little curl, and his beautiful violet eyes.

He slammed the door to the apartment open, surprised to see that the lights were on. He looked down to see two pairs of shoes on the floor by the door, and sighed. "Alfred brought someone home?" he muttered.

Closing the door and taking off his shoes, he walked around to the living room. Alfred was sitting on the couch, the blond crying man from the bar passed out on his shoulder. Gilbert let out a loud laugh, catching the American's attention. "Oh, hey, bro! What's so funny?"

Gilbert put a hand to his mouth, trying to refrain from laughing, and pointed to the man passed out beside him. "Did… did he pass out when you tried to go down on him?"

"What?! No, he's just a friend, I swear!"

"Okay… That sounds fake, but okay…"

Alfred pouted for a moment, then returned to his normal wide smile. "Dude knows how to party, I'll tell you that."

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Sure, if crying hysterically is how you party. Anyway, let's talk about me. I met this awesome guy, Alfie, he's _so_ cute. It was weird though, he kinda reminded me of you but like, a you I would totally bang. We kissed in the bathroom, it was awesome."

Alfred stared at him blankly, almost as if he were in shock. "What… what was his name?" He asked in a quiet voice.

"Matthew. Do you know him?"

"You… you made out with _Mattie_?"

"So you do know him?"

"That's my fucking _brother_ , dude! What the hell is wrong with you?" Alfred stood, eyebrows furrowing and eyes squinting in anger. He looked absolutely disgusted, and Gilbert was taken aback- he had never seen his roommate so… _unhappy._

Alfred picked up the man still asleep on the couch and tossed him over his shoulder effortlessly, still glaring daggers at Gilbert. "Fuck you, man." He said as he walked to his bedroom, opening the door and disappearing inside, slamming the door shut behind him.

 _Well,_ Gilbert thought. _I fucked up_.

* * *

Translations for this chapter:

"Mon ami" = "My friend"  
"Mein Gott" = "My God"  
"Mon dieu" = "My God"  
"Au reviour" = "Goodbye"  
"Priyekhat" = "Come"  
"Scheiße" = essentially meaning, "Bullshit"


	3. Communication

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who has favorited, reviewed, and followed this story- it really means a lot!

I want to apologize for the previous chapter- most of the things I had italicized for some reason did not show up, making it hard to read clearly and making the writing style inconsistent. I just fixed it, along with minor mistakes I missed before posting. Sorry about that, and thank you to those who read it anyway- I know I wouldn't have.

As usual, see the end of the chapter for translations, and enjoy! (This chapter features the Nordics, so I hope you guys like them as much as I do :,3 )

* * *

Gilbert paced around his room, too scared to even set foot outside of it- who knew if Alfred was still mad at him? He checked for what must have been the hundredth time to see if his bedroom door was locked; Alfred was always prepared for a "good old fashioned breaking and entering!", as he put it. _I can't believe this man is a cop_ , he thought. _I don't feel safe at all right now_.

He flopped onto his bed face-down, sighing in defeat. _What the hell, I've been rooming with this man for over two years and I've never once seen him get angry; what the hell am I supposed to do?! Who do I know that could have ever seen him angry before…?_ He sat upright and gasped in realization. _Sein bruder! I'm so smart, of course Matthew has seen him mad before! I'm a genius, and a total hunk._

Fumbling around his bed in search of his phone, Gilbert found it lodged between the wall and his mattress. He pulled it out and went to the contact he had created the previous night, with the name "Mattie" and a picture of maple syrup as an icon, and began to type out his text.

 **Gilbert:** _HEY MAPLE BOY!_

 **Matthew:** _Hello, Gilbert._

 **Gilbert:** _I NEED YOUR HELP._

 **Matthew:** _Okay. Why are you yelling at me?_

 **Gilbert:** _Verzeihung_ _. It's a bad habit._

 **Matthew:** _Is typing things in another language also a bad habit?_

The musician looked up from his phone and grinned ear to ear, full of affection for this boy. He was just so… so cute, so _smart_ \- _unlike his brother_ , Gilbert thought bitterly.

 **Gilbert:** _All I said was "sorry." And German is my first language, it's an honest habit. The caps thing is just to get people to pay attention to me._

 **Matthew:** _I know how you feel. Anyway, what did you need my help with?_

 **Gilbert:** _Funny story. I'm actually roommates with your brother, and he kind of found out we kissed and is now being totally unawesome and terrifying. I haven't left my room all day and I need your help._

 **Matthew:** _That's strange. The world works in mysterious ways, eh? He told me that his roommate would be playing at the bar, but I didn't know it was you._

 **Matthew:** _Honestly, I would just wait him out. He can't stay mad forever, but when he gets mad he's very scary. Once, he hit me in the face with a baseball because I said I'd like to move to Canada one day._

 **Gilbert:** _Actually, I think he told me about that once. Didn't your parents also leave you in an IKEA once?_

 **Matthew:** _That's a sore subject, I'd rather not talk about it..._

Gilbert continued to text his roommate's brother, listening to his stories of living with Alfred and even sharing his own. At one point, Matthew had even mentioned how ironic it was that they were becoming closer because of Alfred, when Alfred was the one trying to keep them apart. Without him even realizing it, three hours had passed- it was now two in the afternoon. Briefly, he considered trying to escape from his room. Before he could construct a solid plan, he heard the front door open and shut.

 **Gilbert:** _I just heard the door shut, I think Alfred might have left. I'm going to go check. If you don't hear from me in two hours, call the police._

 **Matthew:** _But he is the police…_

He grinned, stuffing his phone into his pocket, knowing Matthew had said that to lighten the mood. This didn't change his apprehensiveness- he didn't doubt that Alfred would use his career to try and freak Gilbert out. He exited his room, closing the door silently behind him, and padded out into the kitchen. Instead of being greeted by an empty room like he had expected, he came face to face with the hysterical man Alfred had brought home the previous night.

"Oh… hi."

The man looked up from the table, formerly appearing to have been staring at the small dent Alfred left in it. "Oh, hello. I suppose you must be Alfred's roommate, Gilbert? He's been complaining about you all morning."

Gilbert groaned. "I'm not surprised, he's super pissed at me."

"So I've heard."

He was thankful that the other man didn't try to pursue a conversation, as the only thing Gilbert wanted to do at that moment was _eat_. He ripped open a package of hot dogs and tossed them on a plate, shoving them in the microwave and pushing a few buttons. As he waited for the telltale "beep!" of his food being ready, he grabbed a box of cereal and a bag of chips from the pantry, not knowing the next time he'd be able to sneak out of his room for food.

"I think it's a bit ridiculous, honestly. Matthew can make his own decisions."

Gilbert gaped at the British man, surprised that he was taking his side. His mild shock, however, was interrupted by the microwave beeping. He removed the plate and set it down, joining the other at the table. "Exactly! Mattie's a grown man and if we wants to make out with an awesome rock star in a bathroom then Alfred has no right to stop him!"

"I _heard_ that!"

The door slammed open, and Alfred stormed inside. He held a large soda in one hand and a bag of fast food in the other. He threw the bag onto the counter and reached into his pocket, pulling out his police badge. " _I_ have no right? I'll tell you _your_ rights right now; you have the right to remain silent! Anything you say can and _will_ be held against you in the court of law!"

Gilbert smirked, knowing that the blond was just being ridiculous in his rage. _Why was I scared of this fucking kid? He's acting like a child, and here I thought he would try to attack me…_

"Matthew Williams."

Alfred glared at his roommate, grip on his soda tightening to the point where the cap popped off and soda spewed over the edges. Furthering provoking him, Gilbert took his plate and snacks, giving him a shit eating grin and announcing, "Well, I'd better get back to my room. I've been talking to Mattie all day, he's waiting for the awesome me to return."

"You made him give you his number? What the fuck, dude, you're such an _ass_ \- just leave him alone!"

"Nah, I didn't make him. He wrote it on my hand after we made out, wanna see?" Without waiting for a reply, he held up his hand, displaying the smudged numbers from the night before.

The two glared at each other, and Alfred stepped forward, curling his fingers into a fist. The man previously seated across from Gilbert stood, looking absolutely terrified. "Well, I'll see myself out. You two have fun. See you, Alfred." He said nervously, pulling on his shoes before slipping out the door.

Alfred stared at the door, looking almost heartbroken. "Arthur…" He said sadly, and Gilbert prayed that his anger would be replaced with this disappointment. His hopes were shattered when Alfred looked back at him with murderous intent in his eyes.

"Gil, look what you _did!_ Now he's never going to want to see me again, I hate you so much!"

Gilbert snorted. "Good. You're trying to ruin my chances with Mattie, so I'll ruin yours with Arthur- or whatever his name is."

Alfred simply turned around, heading back for the door and muttering, "I have to go get another soda since you _ruined_ that one."

Unwilling to let Alfred have the last word, Gilbert called after him, "I'm not cleaning that spill up for you!" -and received the bird in return.

Proudly, he sat back down, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he went. Using his right hand to shovel hot dogs into his mouth, he typed out another text to Matthew with his left.

 **Gilbert:** _So, your brother threatened to arrest me and he thought I forced you to give me your number._

 **Matthew:** _What? Just because I'm younger doesn't mean he constantly needs to try and protect me. I really need to deal with this… You should take a walk; you must be really stressed. I'll call Alfred._

 **Gilbert:** _Yeah, that's probably a good idea, I'm pretty sure I've just been making him even more angry._

Gilbert slipped on his shoes and made his way down the stairs of the apartment building, and stepped out onto sidewalk. He walked idly down the street, no location in mind. As he took in his surroundings, he was suddenly aware of a vaguely familiar face in the crowd- _was that Arthur?_ He looked closer and saw that he appeared to be talking to someone angrily- _Alfred? But I thought he was going to get a new drink, unless that was just an excuse for going after Arthur…_

"I'm so sorry, dude!"

"No you're _not_! What kind of arsehole takes someone home and spends the whole night complaining about their bloody roommate?"

"Artie, please. I'm really sorry, I'll make it up to you, I swear!"

At that point, Gilbert had heard enough. He hurriedly finished walking the block, and as he was walking, recalled the previous night's events. Biting back a huge grin, he thought of Matthew kissing him- _he's so cute, it's almost ridiculous_. His fond memories were put to an end with the recollection of Raivis bursting in on them. _I wonder if he still thinks Mattie is a hooker…_ He wondered. _I should probably go clear that up._

When he arrived at the bar, it was already half past three, meaning it had only been open for 30 minutes. _At least it'll be mostly empty, no one drinks this early in the day,_ he thought. He pushed opened the door, and his ears were greeted with the sound of loud, obnoxious laughter from a crowded table, and his eyes with the sight of his intimidating boss sitting at the bar. Ivan turned when he heard the door open, giving Gilbert a confused look and a smile.

"You are knowing you are not working today, _verno?"_

" _Ja_ , I just needed to talk to Raivis- is he here?"

Ivan narrowed his eyes. "I am not understanding why you are needing to talk with him, but I suppose I can send him out..."

Gilbert just nodded, watching Ivan as he disappeared into the kitchen. Moments later, Raivis scurried out and stood in front of the musician, looking as if he was going to be yelled at. Trying his best to be as non-threatening as possible, he greeted the young boy with a smile.

"Hey, Raivis. I just wanted to clear up the, uh, _misunderstanding_ from last night. That wasn't a hooker, it was... " He hesitated, unsure of what Matthew was to him. "My roommate's brother."

The waiter's eyes widened at the news. "That probably didn't blow over well, huh?"

Gilbert simply laughed in response, ruffling the younger's hair affectionately.

"Raivis, come back in here, we're getting ready for rush hour!" The other waiter, Eduard, called. Immediately, Raivis scampered away, without even saying goodbye to the musician.

 _I guess I should just head home, there's nothing left for me to do here,_ he thought, starting to turn and exit the bar.

"Wait, _no_! Stay!"

Gilbert whipped his head around to the source of the sound, which turned out to be the people at the booth. They were all blond men, one of whom had yelled at him to stay. He had spiky hair and bright blue eyes, and was being physically detained by a man taller than him with glasses. Another man had the excited man's tie in his grip, looking as if he was ready to yank it and choke him, if necessary. The youngest of them all had out his cell phone, and appeared to be taping the ordeal. The remaining man turned and waved at him cheerfully.

"Um, what?"

The man who was previously being held down had now escaped and was stumbling towards him. He heard four voices shout in unison, "Matthias, _no!_ " Gilbert was extremely confused- who was this man, and why were his friends trying to keep him away from him? As if answering his thoughts, Matthias grinned and stuck out his hand. "Nice to meetcha! I'm Matthias, and I'm your biggest fan!"

Gilbert tentatively reached out and shook the man's hand, making the other beam. "It's nice to meet you, too. I _am_ awesome, aren't I?"

Still grasping the other's hand, Matthias nodded furiously in agreement. Abruptly, their hands were wrenched apart by one of the men Matthias was sitting with. He looked up at Gilbert cooly, a perpetual glare meeting his own crimson eyes.

"Sorry, he gets excited. I'm Lukas."

Gilbert simply nodded, too fascinated by the sight of the bespectacled man wrapping his arms around Matthias's chest, lifting him and bringing him back to their table. Matthias yelled at him while pounding his fists on his arms; " _Jeg hader dig!_ "

Lukas followed the two back to their table, and Gilbert gave a weak wave to the group, still extremely confused. He exited the bar before Matthias could chase him again, and made his way back to the apartment, only one thought on his mind; _what the hell was that?_

* * *

Translations:

"Sein bruder" = "His brother"

"Verzeihung" = German for 'forgiveness' (but I believe it is understood to mean that the person is asking for forgiveness. Please correct me if I'm wrong!)

"verno?" = "Right?"

"Jeg hader dig!" = "I hate you!"


	4. Uncertain Resolution

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter is a bit short, it's hard to stay encouraged to write a lot when you don't get much feedback :,). So, I'll make all my readers a deal: if this chapter gets 5 reviews, I will draw a scene from the fic so far. If you want to see this, leave a review and tell me what scene you'd like to see! As always, enjoy this chapter- it's a lot of fluff, so I think you will ;)

Special thanks to steelgray- your review really made my day and motivated me to write this chapter! :-)

* * *

Gilbert stood outside of the door to his and Alfred's apartment, hand on the doorknob. He hesitated before pushing the door open; he _really_ was not in the mood to argue with him; he was still frazzled from the incident at the bar.

He sighed and pushed the door open defeatedly, and was surprised to find the apartment empty, and Alfred's shoes still gone. He heard a faint buzzing sound, and remembered that he had left his phone on the table. Hoping that it was Matthew messaging him, he walked around the counter and into the kitchen, snatching up his phone.

 _I was right, as usual._ He thought smugly when he saw that he did _indeed_ have a message from the blond.

 **Matthew:** _Is Alfred with you? I called him so many times, but he didn't answer…_

 **Gilbert:** _No, he isn't. I saw him outside about an hour ago with Arthur._

 **Matthew:** _Who's that?_

 **Gilbert:** _Arthur? He's this guy Alfred met at the bar, he's totally into him._

 **Matthew:** _I see. Well, I texted him and asked him to call me when he could, hopefully he does. I really want to put an end to his childishness._

Alfred's phone buzzed for what must have been the thousandth time, and he angrily removed it from his phone, turning it off without looking at a single notification. He smiled and turned back to his date, offering a smile as they walked into the movie theater. In apology for his behavior, he had offered to take Arthur to a movie- on a "proper date", as the Brit put it.

Arthur had at first insisted that he pay for their movie tickets, but Alfred refused- "Dude, come on, I'm trying to apologize here! I'm not gonna make you pay."

The two decided to compromise; Alfred buying the tickets and Arthur buying snacks. When Alfred had proposed the agreement, Arthur thought he was being sly; of course the American wouldn't get any snacks, they were going out to dinner afterwards! He found himself impressed with the man for thinking of such a clever ruse, but it was completely replaced with disbelief when he marched to the concessions stand and ordered $20 worth of snacks. Grudgingly, Arthur handed the man at the stand a crisp $20 bill, before dragging Alfred by the arm into their movie.

They sat in the far back, Alfred declaring it to be the "best spot in the theater, dude!" Arthur agreed, and they took seats in the middle, watching as the advertisements played on the large screen. By the time the actual movie started to play, Arthur could see that his date had already finished half of his ridiculous bowl of popcorn, and was on his second soda. The British man was beginning to regret his decision to let Alfred "make it up to him"- that was, until Alfred put his arm around him and winked.

"Hey, you said you wanted a proper date, right? This is what we Americans do on movie dates!"

Arthur felt his face burning, and he muttered affectionately, "Idiot, they do that everywhere." Despite his words, he cuddled into Alfred's embrace, and stayed that way for the majority of the movie. It was exactly what he imagined- well, maybe not exactly; he could do without the sound of popcorn being chewed in his ear. Otherwise, it was perfect- a proper first date, if he did say so himself.

When the movie was over, Arthur stretched and stood, but was yanked back down into his seat. He yelped, and glared at Alfred, who had been the one to pull him. "What the hell, you wanker?"

Alfred shushed him, staring intently at the screen. "There's always something after the credits, man. Just wait!" Arthur sighed, but obliged, sitting back in the plush theater seat. Alfred's hand was still gripping his, and a light blush tinted his cheeks. Arthur grinned, intertwining their fingers and leaning his head against the taller man's shoulder. The credits finally finished rolling, and the screen went black. Arthur waited for a few minutes, and suddenly realized that Alfred was lying- there were no scenes after the credits!

"You sly dog, you just wanted to hold hands, didn't you?"

Alfred turned pink. "I- I dunno what you're talking about, man! They always have scenes after the credits, the film roll must be messed up or something. Anyway, lets go eat dinner." He quickly said, avoiding his date's smug grin. The two made their way to the restaurant just outside of the theater, and were seated at a booth. The time passed quickly as they talked about the movie they had just seen, ate their food (one with more vigor than the other), and recalled the hilarious conversation they had shared at the bar the night they met.

At half past seven, the pair exited the restaurant, ready to bid one another farewell.

"Good night! I'm really sorry about today, I hope I made it up to you…" Alfred said sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.

"It's quite alright. You have made it up to me, but you're forgetting something that completes a proper date." Arthur said the last part shyly, gaze flickering to the other's lips.

"O-oh! Of course, man, lemme get a piece of paper and I'll write my number down-"

"Not that, you _dolt!_ Kiss me!"

Alfred froze, looking at the other in surprise. "Right. Cool. I knew that!" he said nervously, and put his hands hesitantly on Arthur's shoulders. Arthur reached his hands up to cup the American's cheeks, gently pulling him closer so that their lips met softly. Alfred squeezed the other's shoulders and leaned in further, pressing their mouths closer together and only pulling away when he couldn't hold his breath any longer.

He pulled away, panting slightly, and Arthur chuckled at him. "You aren't supposed to hold your breath, you know. Don't worry, I'll teach you next time." With a wink, the British man walked away, leaving Alfred both literally and figuratively breathtaken.

Beginning his trek home, Alfred pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned it back on. He had 20 missed calls, and one text from his brother, telling him to call him as soon as he could. Wondering what could have happened, he called Matthew and was surprised when he picked up almost instantly.

" _There_ you are," He said, sounding frustrated. "I've been trying to reach you all day, and yo-"

Alfred laughed loudly. "Sorry, bro! I was busy doing stuff and being a hero!"

He could practically hear his twin roll his eyes over the phone. "I know for a fact you were on a date with that Arthur guy, and not ' _being a hero_.' Listen, I need to talk to you- and you can't interrupt me like you always do, okay?"

Alfred was about to protest, whining, "Hey! I don't always inter-"

"Yes, you _do_. Just listen, eh?"

"Fine," he pouted in response.

"You have to stop being a jerk to Gilbert. He didn't force me into anything- _I_ was the one who kissed _him_."

Alfred gasped. "Mattie, were you _drunk?_ "

"Al, you _know_ I don't drink. Anyway, you're _way_ too protective. You may be older than me, but only by five minutes."

"Five minutes and thirty-two seconds…" He muttered.

"What _ever._ That doesn't change the fact that I'm old enough to make my own decisions, and you can't stop me. I really like Gilbert, Al. He's really sweet, and funny, and-"

"Okay, okay, I get it! Ew, I don't even want to imagine him being sweet… He must really like you, huh…"

"I- I think so… I hope so… Um, anyway- I like him a lot, and you should stop bullying him!"

Alfred chuckled. "I'm not bullying him, I'm just being a good brother, dude! And he totally digs you, by the way- I just find it hard to believe why you would choose someone like _him_. Have you heard his music? That shit is scary, dawg!"

"Please never say that word again. Also, his music doesn't reflect what he's like as a person- you should know that, since you've lived with him for so long."

Alfred sighed in defeat. "I guess I'll get off his back if you like him that much, I just-"

"Good."

"But-"

"No."

Alfred was surprised that his brother had actually hung up on him- usually it was him that hung up first, and often in the middle of Matthew's sentences; which wasn't his fault, in his opinion. If he really wanted to talk to Alfred, he wouldn't be so _boring_.

Around ten minutes later, he had arrived at his and Gilbert's apartment and unlocked the door, slamming it open as he usually did. The second he marched in, Gilbert had jumped up from the couch and taken an offensive position, fists raised and eyes wild.

Alfred laughed and grinned, giving him a thumbs up. "Calm down, bro! I forgive you, we don't have to fight anymore!"

Gilbert glared at him suspiciously, lowering his fists and dropping them to his sides. "Okay… Did I make things awkward with you and Arthur?"

"Nah, don't worry, man! I just got back from a date with him, actually. We kissed."

Gilbert gasped, mocking disbelief. "Dude, that's my _brother_!" He exclaimed, poking fun at Alfred's outburst from the previous day.

Alfred rolled his eyes and punched his roommate in the arm. "Not cool, man."

Gilbert grinned, glad to have his friend back. "Anyway, I'm happy for you, Al. That sounds really awesome," He hesitated before saying his next words, unsure of how Alfred would react to his next sentence. "I guess it's about time I go on a date with Mattie, huh?"

Alfred's grin disappeared, and he looked Gilbert in the eye with the straightest face a gay man could make. "That's not funny."

As unamusing as the idea of Gilbert on a date with Matthew was to Alfred, it happened. It was the next day, and Gilbert was getting ready to leave and meet his date at the same theater Alfred had gone to with Arthur. The albino dressed as nicely as he could without being formal, since Matthew had only really seen him in his band clothing thus far. He slipped on his sneakers at the door, and narrowed his eyes at his roommate.

"Well, I'm off. See ya, I guess."

"Yeah, yeah. Just go already, Mattie hates it when people are late to meet him! Then again, every time I meet him it's usually hours later, and on accident because I forgot we were supposed to meet…" He muttered the last part to himself, reminiscing. Gilbert's heart ached for his adorable date, and the fact that his brother was so… shamelessly _awful_.

" _Tschüß!"_

"Still dunno what the hell you're saying, bro!"

He greeted Matthew outside of the theater, and saw that he was already holding two tickets. He grinned shyly, and handed Gilbert one. "I got here early, so I had time to get us the tickets," he said, sweet as ever. Gilbert took the ticket being offered to him and smiled. "Awesome! It starts in 20 minutes, so we have time to get snacks!"

Matthew's heart almost burst at the sight of the older man getting excited over buying snacks at the movie theater- _what grown man besides Alfred does that?_ _He's really cute…_ He thought to himself, watching as Gilbert strode up to the man at the concessions stand. He came back with two sodas and a ridiculously-sized bag of popcorn, grinning at his date ecstatically. Matthew giggled and took a piece of popcorn, tossing it up into the air and catching it in his mouth effortlessly.

"Woahh, how did you do that?"

"Years of watching movies with Alfred. He would randomly yell, 'think fast!' and throw popcorn at me."

"That was awesome, I want to try!"

"Okay," Matthew obliged, and tossed another piece in the air near Gilbert. The piece landed on the albino's forehead, bouncing off and landing onto the floor. Gilbert pouted good naturedly and muttered, "This game is fucking rigged…"

Matt simply took one of the sodas from him, freeing one of Gilbert's hands, which he took in his own, clasping them together as they walked towards the theater that was showing their movie. They entered the theater and took seats in the middle of the theater, Matthew explaining, "They're the best seats!" Gilbert nodded in agreement, setting his drink in the cup holder to the left of his seat, and taking Matthew's and putting it to the holder on _his_ right. Matthew gave him a strange look, clearly wondering why he didn't just put his in the one between their seats. Gilbert offered a shy smile, muttering, "How are we supposed to hold hands if there's a soda between us?"

The other man smiled, taking his hand once again and giving it a squeeze. Gilbert leaned in closely, lips ghosting over Matthews, so close to meeting in a kiss- "Hey, guys, funny seeing you here!"

" _Alfred!"_ , both he and Matthew exclaimed angrily.

"That's me!"

Matthew sighed. "Alfred, please, we talked about this. Move your seat."

"But, I just wanted to-"

"I already told you, you don't need to watch over me or be the hero or whatever it is you think you're doing by being a creep and spying on me when I'm on a date!"

Gilbert and Alfred both gave Matthew surprised looks. He wasn't one to get angry easily, but he had just whisper-yelled at his twin shamelessly in the middle of a theater- quite strange for the sweet man. Gilbert found himself feeling proud of him, and even more so when Alfred stood up and moved to the very back of the theater.

"That was awesome, Mattie," he said happily, squeezing his hand gently. Despite the pink tinge of his cheeks and ears, Matthew replied with a casual, "I know."

When the movie had finally ended, Gilbert leaned in once more, taking Matthew by surprise. "Look, I know I said we'd go out to dinner after this, but I have a feeling Alfred will try and follow us. Wanna ditch?"

Matthew looked back at him, rebellious glint in his eyes. "Let's do it."

The pair exited the theater, Gilbert keeping a close watch for Alfred coming out behind them. He waited for a moment when the American was distracted, and found an opportunity when he threw away his trash. "Now," he whispered, grabbing onto his hand and running out of the theater and onto the street. He pulled him along for a bit, and they slowed their pace after about three blocks. They stopped for breath, and Matthew let out a giggle. Gilbert chuckled as well, and before they knew it the two of them were laughing like idiots in the middle of the sidewalk- Gilbert's laughs having turned into loud cackles and Matthew not even laughing, just holding onto his stomach and gasping for air.

They looked up at each other simultaneously and their eyes met, full of mirth. Gilbert took his date's hand once again, resuming their walk; leading him to a small park just off of the main road.

"Wow, I've never seen this place before…"

"Awesome, yeah? I discovered it around a year ago when I was going for a walk." He sat at a bench further into the park, beckoning for Matthew to do so as well. He did, and almost immediately rested his head on Gilbert's chest. Gilbert blushed furiously in response, lifting his fingers uncertainly to pet the other's hair. _Woah, so soft- like a bird!_

Matthew snuggled deeper into his chest, and Gilbert took that to mean that his hair-petting was welcomed, which made him glad; he had always liked touching soft things.

Gilbert thought about what he wanted to say for a while, trying not to focus on how soft the threads of Matthew's hair were on his fingers. Finding himself unable to put what he wanted to say in a way that didn't make him sound like a total dork, he opted to speak from his heart;

"Mattie… I- I like you a lot. We only met recently, but you're so awesome, and kind, and really cute… It upsets me that no one really pays attention to you, but I won't lie- I like to be the one to give you attention. Do you... wanna be my boyfriend?"

In response to his serious confession and question, Gilbert received not a word from Matthew. Instead, he felt a wetness on his chest- "Mattie, are you _crying?"_

"I'm sorry, I'm just… really happy. It's so strange, going from having everyone ignoring you to suddenly having someone so wonderful who cares so much... Yes, _of course_ I'll be your boyfriend."

Gilbert grinned from ear to ear, pulling his new boyfriend back into his chest and nuzzling him, receiving a kiss on the cheek in return. The two sat that way contentedly for a long while, before their moment was ruined once again by a certain twin brother.

"Guys, there you are, I've been lookin' for you _for_ _ever!"_

Matt sighed, giving his brother a look of pure weariness. "Alfred, go home."

Alfred looked indignant. "Hey, you're gonna make me walk home alone? At _night_?"

Matthew began, "You're a _cop,_ you should be us-"

"Fine. Let's go home, Al." Gilbert sighed, knowing that the American would never give up once he began. He gave Matthew a quick kiss and sent him off with a wave and a promise of, "I'll see you tomorrow."

He walked side by side with Alfred on their way back home, the other whistling happily as if he hadn't just stalked his brother and boyfriend on their first date.

"So… what's tomorrow?"

"I'm playing at the bar, Mattie's gonna come by and watch."

"Cool! I'll bring Kiku, and maybe Arthur can come, too-"

"No. After what happened tonight, you are not invited to anywhere I go with Mattie."

"But he's my brother!"

Gilbert sighed once again, knowing it would be a long argument, and an even longer night.

* * *

No translations for this chapter!

Also, if you're concerned about USUK and PruCan having similar dates, it's only to show that Mattie and Alfie think alike, being brothers and all.


	5. Jealousy

**A/N:** I am so so sorry about how late this chapter is! I don't have a good excuse, besides the fact that I wanted to draw something to post with this chapter so it was delayed a bit... Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed with positive comments about this story, they made me so happy! This one's for you guys :,)

As I said, I wanted to get this chapter posted ASAP so I didn't draw the scene from the last chapter- but I swear I will, soon. For now, check the comments for a link to a Mattie from this chapter! **EDIT:** Nevermind. I can't find any way to post links on here without them being removed. If you know an alternative way for me to share drawings related to this fic with my readers, I'd love to know! Thank you (:

As always, enjoy!

* * *

The sound of the doorbell rang throughout the apartment, startling the only conscious resident. Gilbert pushed open the door to his bedroom, praying that the sound hadn't woken up Alfred. He looked down the hall to his door, and found it still closed. Inching closer, he strained his ears for the tell-tale sound of his roommate's loud snores, and heard them faintly. He sighed in relief and padded to the front door, pulling it open gingerly to reveal his boyfriend, whom he had invited over to hang out before his performance.

"Hey, Gilbert," he said timidly, clearly a bit flustered- the tips of his ears were tinged pink, and he was adjusting his glasses though they looked fine to Gilbert. He did a double-take, and realized that the other man had dressed up; he was wearing a grey button-down and a violet tie that complimented his eyes, along with black dress pants. _This kid is ridiculously adorable,_ Gilbert thought _,_ feeling butterflies in his stomach.

"Hey, Mattie. You look _great,_ " he said flirtily, giving the other a wink before ushering him in. Matthew entered the apartment, looking around curiously. "You know, I've never been here before… I've _seen_ it, though, in those videos Alfred likes to make."

Gilbert's eyes widened. "You mean his weird vine things? He broke my ironing board trying to slide down the stairs on it and then said he 'did it for the vine'- what does that even mean?"

Matthew chuckled, continuing to look around the apartment. He strolled into the kitchen and stopped dead at the sight of the table. "Again?" he muttered, horrified expression on his face. His boyfriend shot him a questioning look, quirking an eyebrow. "He did this when we were kids. Mom said she wouldn't take him to see some superhero movie, and he punched the table and dented it."

Frowning, the albino decided that way too much of their time together was spent talking about Alfred. Even though they were friends, he didn't want him to be the subject of every date he had with Matthew. He cleared his throat pointedly, snapping the other out of his reminiscing state.

"So, wanna see my room?"

"Oh, sure," he replied, following Gilbert down the hall and towards his room. The German stood by the door, grasping the handle dramatically. He bowed as he pushed the door open, revealing a neat space- bed tucked into a corner by a window, neatly made with deep blue sheets. To the right of his door was his guitar, and what Matthew could only assume to be speakers, wires, and most likely a microphone. At the foot of his bed were a ridiculous amount of pillows of various sizes and materials.

"You must fall off your bed a lot, eh?"

Gilbert rolled his eyes at the other man. "Yes, but that's not what they're for. It's nice to have pillows."

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

A mischievous glint in his eye, Gilbert walked casually to the pile before picking one up and turning on his boyfriend. "For _this_ ," he said, hurling the pillow at him and hitting him square in the face. The blond gasped, reaching out to catch it a moment too late. He grasped it as it began to fall, and a smirk formed on his usually sweet face.

"Oh, it is _on."_

Defensively, Gilbert grabbed a large cushion and held it over his face as Matthew _flung_ the pillow back at him, nailing him in the shoulder. He dropped his makeshift shield in surprise, and looked up to see Matthew standing over him, having grabbed both and smiling rather happily. "I win."

Gilbert was torn- on one hand, it was adorable that Mattie wanted to win; it was clear that Alfred had that influence on him. On the other, all he had to do was grab a pillow from behind him and he could…

"Yeah. I guess you do. Help me up?"

His boyfriend reached out his hand and Gilbert gripped it tightly, pulling him down with a smirk. He had no problem letting the other win, but his pride wouldn't let him get away with it so easily. Matthew tumbled and landed on top of Gilbert, not expecting the dirty trick. His eyebrows furrowed and he lifted his head, mouth open as if he were about to scold him. He was stopped, however, when he realized just how close they were.

Gilbert, too, looked flushed. They looked into each other's eyes, foreheads practically pressing together. Unable to focus on just one part of him, Gilbert's gaze darted around Matthew's face. His beautiful eyes, his cute button nose, and his hair- his soft, beautiful hair. Almost unconsciously, he reached his hand up and ran it through the silky locks. Matthew shuddered, leaning into the touch and closing his eyes.

Tilting himself forward, Gilbert pecked his boyfriend on the mouth sweetly, smiling when he opened his eyes, caught off guard. Matthew stared at him hard, confusing the other until he muttered in wonder, "Your eyes are so beautiful."

If he hadn't been blushing before, he certainly was now. Gilbert could feel every inch of his face burning- no one had ever called his eye's beautiful before. Creepy, sure. Awesome, once or twice- but never 'beautiful'. He opened his mouth to respond; to insist that Matthew's eyes- every inch of him was much more so. He was cut off by his phone's loud alarm, shocking Matthew into jumping up.

"Crap, we have to leave for the bar," Gilbert grumbled, standing up and approaching his dresser. "Let me change my shirt real quick before we go."

"Sure. I'll leave you al-"

Gilbert had already stripped off his shirt, folding it and tossing it into a hamper. Matthew gaped at the other's bare chest, taking in his pale skin and defined muscles. He tried to tear his gaze away, but found his eyes glued to the sight. He was so close, he could literally reach out and touch- "My eyes are up here, Mattie."

The albino gave him a wink, pulling his shirt on- much to his boyfriend's disappointment. Matthew tried to stutter an excuse, but was silenced by Gilbert pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Don't worry about it, I know my muscles are awesome and sexy."

The two exited the apartment silently, as not to disturb the sleeping American. Gilbert insisted that he drive them to the bar, since Matthew had walked to his apartment. Upon arrival, the taller man wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's waist and led him inside.

"Ready to meet the band?" He asked playfully, tugging gently at the other's curl.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose. They seemed nice enough on stage…"

Gilbert snorted at his comment, knowing that the only truly 'nice' person in the band was Antonio, but Gilbert was unsure of his kindness at times.

"This must be Matthew, no?"

Confused, Matthew glanced at Gilbert when the blond man approached them. Gilbert grimaced; he knew the two would have to meet eventually, but he prefered later rather than sooner. "Mattie, this is Francis. Francis, this is _my_ boyfriend, Matthew."

Francis waved a hand dismissively, busy staring up the other blond. " _Mignon,_ " he muttered, displaying a predatory grin. Gilbert gritted his teeth, tightening his grip around his boyfriend's waist. Ever the savior, Antonio pushed Francis to the side, greeting Matthew with a warm smile.

" _Hola!_ Nice to meet you, Matthew. I'm Antonio!"

Matthew seemed relieved, and returned the smile. "Hello. It's nice to meet you, too. You play the key-"

"His _hair!_ "

Gilbert recognized the squeal- that was, without a doubt, Feliks. The short man quickly made his way to Matthew's side, eyes shining as he examined the other's hair. "Oh my god, it's like, so soft- what conditioner do you use? Where do you get it cut? That curl is totally adorable, do you style it that way? Is it natural?"

Matthew looked extremely overwhelmed, surrounded by his boyfriend's… eccentric friends. Deciding to save him, Gilbert reminded his band that they still needed to set up stage, and that they were playing in less than half an hour. Unwillingly, Feliks stomped away, muttering, "You'd think they'd at least set up the stage before we got here…"

Gilbert gave Mattie a quick kiss before joining his bandmates backstage. "I'll see you after the show!" he said, waving. Matthew waved back wearily, now standing alone next to the barstools and actual bar. He took a seat next to a slight Japanese man, who he realized to be Alfred's close friend, Kiku. "Hello," he said, praying that he would notice him.

He didn't. Instead, he was staring at the bartender who appeared to be cleaning dishes across from the stools. Matthew sighed, and instead watched the stage as he waited for his boyfriend to go on.

About fifteen minutes later, he saw the curtains separate, revealing Asphyxia. Gilbert was clutching the microphone, and he spoke into it enthusiastically. "It's time for Asphyxia! Today is an extra awesome performance, because my _boyfriend_ is here to watch!"

Matthew gasped when Gilbert pointed directly at him, and everyone in the bar turned their heads to him. His face burned with embarrassment; he had never been the center of attention before, and now everyone in the bar had their eyes on him. Thankfully, their attention was diverted by a shout of, "TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRT!" followed by a yelp of pain from a young blond man in a booth with several others. His company looked ashamed, except for a shorter man who had bonked him on the head with his beer glass- presumably the cause for his yelp.

Gilbert shifted awkwardly before speaking again. "Um, here's the first song of the night, _A.M._!"

Matthew listened closely to the song, wondering who had written it- that is, until the song stated that "a.m." stood for "awesome me". He smiled at his boyfriend's predictability, finding his quirks to be extremely endearing.

"Hey, I'm sorry about that."

Matthew looked to the source of the unfamiliar voice, and saw the blond man who had yelled earlier. Standing about three feet behind him was the one who had hit him with the glass, glaring at the back of the other's head.

"Um… It's okay, I guess," he replied. Of course he was angry that someone had yelled such a thing at his boyfriend- especially after he had announced that he was taken, but he was used to forgiving others, and firmly believed in second chances.

"It's really not; I got carried away and didn't watch my mouth," he said, looking like a bit like a kicked puppy. "I'm a huge fan of your boyfriend, and I wanted to tell ya that you guys are really cute together! Y'know, I have a boyfriend of my own- we've been dating for four years now, and I honestly love him with all my heart! Anyways, I hope you and Gilbert have a really long and happy relationship!"

Matthew felt tears form in his eyes at the other's speech, and he sniffled, wiping them away. "Thank you, that really means a lot."

Matthias grinned and stuck out his thumb, before turning around to make his way back to his booth. He looked surprised to see Lukas behind him, and Matthew supposed that the other man had followed him to supervise his apology. "Oh, Lukas, you were here-"

"I love you too, you absolute idiot."

Before Matthew knew it, the shorter man had enveloped Matthias into a passionate kiss, running his fingers through the other's spiky hair. He returned the kiss enthusiastically, hands on his waist and back. Matthew looked away, embarrassed- they really had no shame, kissing like that in such a public place…

He tried to focus on Gilbert's music once again, and found that- to his relief- Matthias and Lukas had left. Where to, and to do what, he'd rather not think about- but he was glad that he could now watch his boyfriend on stage. _He's really pretty,_ Matthew mused, watching as the light made Gilbert's snow-white hair shine, and his eyes practically sparkle. Gilbert caught him staring, giving him a wink. Only moments later, another bartender leaned over to where Matthew was sitting.

"You're Gilbert's boyfriend? I am dating Feliks," he said, warmly. "He's the drummer."

Matthew diverted his gaze to the brunet, smiling as he replied, "That's neat! We're both boyfriends of band members- everyone is jealous of us, eh?"

The other's eyes sparkled as he joked, "I'd say it's the other way around, honestly." His eyes darkened for a moment, as if realizing the truth of his statement- in his situation, at least.

Matthew was confused, to say the least, but decided not to question him. "Excuse me, I should get back to work. Your boyfriend is the coming." Thankful for the company, Matthew turned and greeted Gilbert with a smile.

"You were great," he said. "It was only my second time hearing your music, but I think it's very good."

Gilbert grinned. "Of course it is! I wrote it. Well, most of it," he gloated as he sat down, ordering a pint of beer for himself from the bartender Matthew had been talking to. He drank the stuff as if it were water, both impressing and scaring his lightweight of a boyfriend at the same time. As they sat and talked, various people began approaching the rock star, asking for autographs. Gilbert agreed, obviously enjoying the attention.

Matthew tried not to be jealous, but couldn't help the burning sensation in the pit of his stomach as the fans crowded around Gilbert- some even having the nerve to flirt with him, right in front of his boyfriend! He glared at the floor frustratedly, cursing himself for being such a shy person- surely, if he had a big personality like his brother he wouldn't be ignored.

"Mattie, are you okay?"

Gilbert leaned in close to his boyfriend, concern etched onto his face. He put a hand on his shoulder and Matthew slapped it away reflexively, causing Gilbert to spill the contents of his cup onto himself. The blond immediately gasped and stood up, apologizing profusely. "I am so sorry, Gilbert, I just-." Words failing him, he took Gilbert by the arm and gently tugged him into the bathroom, taking paper towels from the machine and doing his best to wipe him off.

"Hey, we're in here again," Gilbert said fondly, attempting to lean in and kiss the other. Matthew backed away, fidgeting as he avoided eye contact.

"Say… You haven't ever _done_ anything with any of your fans, right?"

"What? Of course not- I'm not Francis! I'd never do that; my fans don't know anything about me- besides the fact that I'm awesome, of course."

Matthew grinned at the characteristic answer, and granted Gilbert with the kiss he had tried to steal before. "I'm glad," he whispered against the others lips, before claiming them once again and pulling away. "We should get back out there- I really want you to try dipping your fries in maple syrup; it's amazing."

* * *

So much fluff, so little plot... Sorry about that, but PruCan is my life- they're so adorable, I can't help making them do cute things :,)

Translations:

 _Mignon =_ cute

(Also, I know 'frustratedly' and 'flirtily' aren't words, but they should be.)


	6. Celebration

**A/N:** Okay, so first I'd like to say that I am so so sorry for updating this late. A lot has been going on- preparing for school, traveling (I was previously visiting my cousin who is helping me with this story, but now I'm back home) so I wasn't able to get this chapter done as quick as I'd have liked to, but here it is! Chapters will most likely be coming out every 1-2 weeks from now on. Thanks to everyone who was patient enough to wait, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! I apologize for how short it is, but hopefully the next chapter will make up for it ;)

(You've probably already figured it out, but the reason for broken English from Russia and the Baltics is because, well, it's not their first language. They only moved to America pretty recently in this fic. Just wanted to clear that up!)

* * *

"Shh, you're gonna wake him up!" Arthur scolded his boyfriend as the two crept into Gilbert's room. Alfred turned the handle of the door and pushed, praying it wouldn't make any noise. With only a small creak, it opened to reveal a sleeping Gilbert, legs tangled in blankets and an arm thrown across his face. Alfred approached his roommate, supplies ready.

"Dude, rock out, Gil's gonna look so totally stupid in this video!" he whispered excitedly, before turning to Arthur and flashing him a thumbs up. "You can start filming now."

"Got it."

Alfred inched closer to his sleeping friend, taking his can of shaving cream and giving it a shake before removing the cap and spraying a generous amount onto Gilbert's free hand. He nudged the hand on his face, uncovering his nose. He took the other object he held- a feather- and brought it to Gilbert's nose, moving it back and forth in an attempt to tickle the other man.

SLAP!

Alfred blinked in confusion, eyes widening despite the foam now covering his face. Gilbert flashed him a triumphant grin, sitting up and winking at the camera of Arthur's phone. The British man was completely still, mirroring Alfred's confused look. It didn't last long; he quickly dissolved into giggles at his boyfriend's cream-covered face. Alfred scowled and took the phone from his hands, typing furiously.

"Seriously, man?" Gilbert asked, giving Arthur a condescending look. He squared his shoulders and defended himself; "It was Alfred's idea…"

"Oh my god, Gil, you're the best!"

"Yeah," the albino agreed immediately.

"No, seriously, I just uploaded the video and it already has 200 hits!"

Gilbert sighed and flung a pillow at his roommate, indirectly telling him to get the hell out of his room. Arthur grabbed Alfred by the arm and pulled him out of the room, the American never glancing up from the phone. Gilbert stood and stretched, figuring he may as well get ready for the day, now that he was awake. Yawning, he started towards his dresser and rifled through the drawers for something nice to wear; there would be a celebration that night at the Matryoshka to celebrate Asphyxia having performed there for 2 months already, and he was warned by Feliks to wear something other than his usual performance clothes.

Finding nothing in his dresser, he pulled the door to his closet open and halfheartedly sorted through the clothes hanging up, until he came across a deep blue suit accompanied by a black dress shirt and gray tie.. His mood soured when he saw the garments, mind filling with memories he didn't ever want to recall. He had half a mind to take the items outside and burn them, but common sense kept him from doing so, and he grudgingly put them on- having nothing else to wear and no time to buy something.

He crossed the hall to the bathroom, wondering why the hell he didn't have a mirror in his room. Gilbert looked at himself with distaste. The suit looked good on him, but he was barely able to keep himself from ripping it off- even more so when he inadvertently thought, Ludwig would be delighted to see me in this. He shook his head furiously and splashed his face with water, trying to clear his mind of thoughts from then.

"Yo, Gil, we're gonna head out to the bar early- wanna ride with us?"

Gilbert shook his head again, this time fondly; they didn't need to be at the bar for another three hours, but Alfred liked getting places early so he could gloat over others being late. He replied with a, "Sure!", and joined the other two, toeing on his dress shoes and following them into Alfred's car. After a quick drive, the three arrived at the bar, which was empty save for the staff. Alfred immediately plunked down in a stool by the bar, dragging Arthur with him and engaging Toris in conversation. Gilbert sat as well, already regretting his decision to come early- he didn't quite feel like talking to any of the staff, instead wishing that Matthew was there. He sighed and took out his phone, deciding to blog to pass the time.

"Are you, like, the guy that plays here?"

Gilbert replied without even looking up from his phone; "Yeah."

"Cool," was the reply, and Gilbert narrowed his eyes slightly- shouldn't this person be excited to meet someone as awesomely famous as me?

"Li Xiao, leave Gilbert alone!"

There was a voice he recognized. It was Yao, the cook that had started working at the bar the same day of Gilbert's first gig. He was glaring at a lanky teenager- the one who had addressed the musician moments earlier. Li Xiao glared back, muttering, "He's the only cool one here. Everyone else is like, an old man, or really boring looking," he points at Arthur and continues, "Like that guy." Arthur stood, mouth opening as he started to tell the younger off, but he was interrupted by Alfred shoving his hand over his mouth and Yao's shriek of "Li Xiao!"

"Yeah, yeah," he replied, waving a hand like he was used to being scolded. He stalked off to a booth in the corner, taking a DS out of the pocket of his jacket and tapping away at the buttons. However, he wasn't alone for long- Matthias and his usual small group entered the bar soon after, and the youngest (who Gilbert had learned was Lukas's half brother), wasted no time in rushing towards the other teenager.

Matthias immediately took the seat next to Gilbert, flashing his friend a smile. The two had grown rather close over over the past weeks, with Alfred joining them quite often. The group would regularly meet up to play video games, or meet at the bar and drink together. Matthew tended to skip these meetings- claiming that the three were just a little too much when they were all together.

"Hey, man! Congrats! Two months is a long time for a star like you," Matthias joked, elbowing Gilbert in the side and grinning widely. When the other man opened his mouth to respond, he was cut off by Alfred slapping a hand on his shoulder and joining the conversation, completing the trio.

Matthew sighed lovingly, gazing at his boyfriend as he practically fell out of his chair at something Alfred said, wheezing laughs wracking his body. The blond had joined the small party about two hours after, arriving at the bar to find his boyfriend, brother, and their eccentric Danish friend laughing loudly and joking. He decided to let them hang out, and sat at the end of the bar sipping a soda and watching the others in the room- something he found himself doing it more often than he would like to admit.

Ivan stood in the doorway that led from the kitchen to the bar, gazing at the people in the room with a gleam in his eye. Matthew looked on as Yao approached him, standing on his tip-toes to whisper something to the Russian. The taller man laughed softly, responding in a barely audible voice, "It's nice to have so many people around."

Matthew raised an eyebrow and turned on his stool, now facing the booths in the corner. In a far booth two teenagers sat side by side- Emil and Li Xiao, if he remembered correctly. Emil was resting his head on the other's shoulder, pointing at something on the screen of his handheld game. Sitting at the booth next to theirs were friends of Matthias- the married couple. The taller of the two was sneaking pokes at his husband, a small smirk on his face as the other slowly grew more and more fed up.

Everyone was smiling, Matthew noted happily, glad that the party seemed to be going well. There was such a light, positive air; everyone socializing to some degree- although some interactions seemed less welcomed than others; specifically in the case of two waiters, one of whom was being flirted with by Gilbert's friend, Francis. Matthew recognized Francis's target to be the young worker who had walked in on him and Gilbert when they first met. A taller male was desperately trying to get Francis to go away, but his attempts were ignored.

Oh well, Matthew thought. At least they aren't fighting.

"Mattie! How long have you been here?"

"Oh, Gil! Not long," he replied, turning to his boyfriend.

Gilbert frowned, and Matthew stretched his neck to give him what he intended to be a quick kiss. His boyfriend threaded his fingers through his hair, their lips sliding together smoothly, Gilbert biting the other's bottom lip gently before pulling away and touching their noses together. Matthew felt a huge smile grow over his face, stomach twisting in a way that only Gilbert could inflict.

"What was that for?"

The albino shrugged and nonchalantly replied, "I love you."

His mind went blank, and his body acted of it's own accord. He jumped out of his seat and wrapped his arms around Gilbert, pulling him down into a hug. His boyfriend let out a small, "oomph" as he squeezed. Matthews lips brushed over the shell of Gilbert's ear as he whispered a fierce, "I love you too, you nerd."

"I am hating to be interrupting your moment," Ivan's soft voice interjected. "But I am thinking that toasts should be made."

The couple pulled away from each other, Matthew blushing and Gilbert grinning, a bit of pink dusting his face as well.

"A toast, eh? Sounds fun," Matthew said, offering a smile to the large man.

"Da, fun. I will go first," He stated, usually wide eyes narrowing as if he were challenging someone to object. "To Gilbert and his band. Not only did they bring business, they also brought this." He said the last part with a smile, before tipping back a bottle of vodka and taking a large gulp. Yao explained to the confused group, "He means you brought friends. Ivan likes to see you all getting along."

Gilbert beamed, taking a mug of beer of off the counter and raised it, blatantly ignoring Matthias's shouts of, "Hey, that's mine!"

"You bet!" He proclaimed, ruffling Matthew's hair with his free hand. "If it weren't for Ivan, I wouldn't have gotten to meet this cutie- cheers to Ivan and the Matrie… Matryo… the bar!"

Everyone cheered, and Matthew retrieved his soda from the counter and chugged it, silently mocking Gilbert; he always quickly downed his beer and ended up with most of it on his face, rather than his mouth- a habit that Matthew loved to tease him for. Gilbert responded with a playful swat to his shoulder, instantly recognizing his boyfriend's joke, an affectionate expression on his face.

"No fair, I was totally gonna toast the bar first!" Alfred whined. "Whatever, I'll just say mine anyway," he turned to Ivan and gave him a thumbs up. "Thanks for ownin' this place, dude! It gets Gilbert out of the apartment and it's where I met Artie!"

Ivan was clearly blushing, overwhelmed with all of the praise he was receiving. "I never was thinking that my little shop would be responsible for so much happiness-"

The door to the bar slammed open with a loud bang, drawing everyone's attention. At the entrance a large, dark-skinned man stood, armed with a pistol that he moved slowly around the room- showing that he would, and could, shoot literally anyone in the room. He glanced around, gaze resting on a particular blond cop.

"Carlos. I put you in jail, why the hell are you here? "

Gilbert was frozen in place, unable to think. He watched as Alfred took a step forward, narrowing his eyes and speaking in the most serious tone he had ever heard from the man.

Carlos chuckled, eyes darkening threateningly. "It's pretty simple, Officer Jones- I got out."

Arthur reached out and grabbed Alfred's hand, keeping him from going any further, eyes silently pleading for him to calm down. The criminal noticed the movement, and looked cruelly between the two.

"That your boyfriend, Jones?"

One look at Alfred's expression of pure horror was enough for him to decide that yes, that was his boyfriend. Sneering, he aimed his gun at Arthur and pulled the trigger, the bullet heading straight for the Brit's heart- until Alfred pushed him to the side and let the bullet pierce his flesh, falling to the floor with a resounding thud.

* * *

No translations this chapter! Also, to all Alfred fans: sorry about that.


End file.
